It's exactly what it sounds like, sure you can teach back up, but can you steer your equine while they're backing? I personally didn't spend much time teaching the donks to back up only because that's what they LIKE to do in the first place. So I didn't want to reinforce it...yet. After some thinking I decided that I should teach them backing like Alexandra Kurlanda does - particularly the backing in the stall, so you can teach them how to control their hindquarters. I knew this was a good idea, but didn't really know how GOOD it really is to teach them this. I didn't really realize how much this teaches them about body awareness until I actually started teaching it. So happy I decided to do it.

Daisy is the good example of how it teaches them body awareness & how to learn to read your cues to know where you want them to be. She totally knows back up, in fact she prefers a verbal command. So she knew right away that I wanted to back, but ignored what I was doing with her head. Which ended up with her mashing her butt up against the stall wall, and when I asked her to back some more (still ignoring what I was doing with her head) she mashed against it harder. I told her she was so good for trying so hard for me, I started clicking her for bowing her ribs in the direction I wanted her back feet to go. I did that twice then she finally took a step. Then at one point she assumed that I wanted her just to plant her front feet and move her butt around in a circle LOL. I knew I had to really reinforce backing for a moment, the backing and going in the direction I wanted.

Rocky's reinforcement was very high for both backing & moving his butt the direction I wanted. He's still a little unsure about moving in general so I wanted to be sure to let him know that 'yes that is what I want you to do!' Ironically he actually grasped the concept a little bit better than Daisy. He is definitely a thinker and will think about everything going on in the situation before he even attempts an answer. Whereas Daisy will throw out a whole bunch of answers and hopes she gets lucky. It's so neat seeing the differences between them and I can almost say that maybe Rocky learned this task a bit faster than Daisy!!

I video taped both of their sessions, so hopefully I'll get that posted soon. There were times when I was directing Rocky's head & he'd get a little impatient, but I just held steady, didn't get mad, or increase any pressure and waited. Eventually he'd get it. Pretty cool session! Totally happy with how it went, even if there were some very slow times!!

Took a few days off from training donks, but I got out there today & did a quick session. Unfortunately my video camera ran out of battery, so I only have part of Rocky's session.

Rocky got to do his go forward work, still doing pretty good. Still starting to add the cue, sometimes we get up to twelve steps, so that's pretty cool. Did some backing work too. Starting to feel like I need to refer back to some of Alexandra Kurland's stuff and get a bit more refocused. I think both of us are getting bored, but I'm almost afraid to start adding any new stuff because he gets really stuck. For example after we do a few go forwards, if I ask him to back (and he does it) then I ask him to go forward again he kinda gets stuck. But I gues thats the whole point right?? To differentiate the cues and all that.

I think I need to map out my training plan a bit better! Not being prepared can be majorly frustrating, and I catch myself doing it from time to time. I kinda did that with Daisy today. I put her driving surcingle on her, I figured all that go forward, stops & turns would just transfer right over right?? NOPE. I guess I had assumed that she would just generalize, but I had not asked her for those cues BEHIND her yet. So of course she kept trying to turn around every time I got behind her, then I remembered 'oh ya, I havent really taught her this'. So I went back to basics - went through everything like had from her side or 'in hand'. Started with walk on, and did that a whole bunch. What a difference from the last time I had tried to drive her with the clicker....a moment that almost made me give up on clicker training entirely ( I did push it to the back burner for awhile).

Thankfully I had realized later on that I had put no foundation on her, of course she had no idea what I wanted or even how to get a click, so she just got mad. I don't blame her!! Now that she knows what I want the experience was a whole lot different!! I grabbed my dressage whip and asked her to walk on, when she didn't I lightly tapped her 'go forward' spot. Almost instantly she went 'oh! oh ya I know that' and started walking off. We quickly built up steps and we were cruising around the training pen in no time, with a very happy Daisy!!

After she had going forward down I started asking for whoa's, turns, and backing she did pretty darn well! My plan is to continue the ground driving and turning on the hindquarters. Can't wait til we're out driving!! I figure since I'm at the very top end of her riding weight I should spend more time driving her, since she can be driven by people all shapes and sizes. Plus there's nothing cuter than a donkey cart!! Maybe if she gets really proficient we can get a wagon of some sort. I think she'd like that.

so ya, gotta write down my plans/goals, including a plan of when to move on to bigger/more difficult things. Winging it is not good! Also need to work on Rocky's expression! Anything faster than a walk and he gets the usual grumpy donk look. So far Daisy has improved with her 'expression' when we've been working, but then again I haven't asked her for the trot. Maybe I'm asking Rocky to do that too soon!?! I think maybe I'll lay off the trotting after the target thing for a bit.

Another good session tonight, Rocky seems WAY more enthusiastic this session. We worked on his go forward cue, he did really well. I started adding 'walk on' now, mostly when we're facing the target. But he's still offering it when we're headed away from it too. I let him trot after the target for a little bit, he seems to really enjoy that. One thing I would like though is to teach him an ears forward cue, donks naturally stick their ears back when moving along, I want him to have a 'smile' on his face LOL. So now how to teach the ears forward...capturing. I really hope I'm not going to confuse him with everything else we've been working on! We also did a bit of backing also, he's responding to that pretty well.

Did a really quick sesh with Daisy, I didn't even have her haltered. I just did shoulders moving away from tapping. I started on her right side & didn't realize it! I was tapping on her off shoulder (her left) and she kept going to the left, took me a minute to figure out that the last session I had only asked her to step towards me from the left side. dur... So i went back to her her left side & sure enough she offered to steps towards me when I tapped on the outside shoulder. I switched sides again (lol this is a reminder to really train BOTH sides!!). So standing on her right side I was tapping on on the left shoulder, she kept on going to the left. I stayed with her and kept tapping. I decided to help her out a bit because she wasn't even considering stepping the opposite direction, I held out my hand and pointed to the right (still tapping on the left shoulder), she swung her head to the right, c/t (baby steps!!). I repeated the same thing - and she still kept stepping to the left, so I stuck out my hand again and when she moved her head in that direction again I c/t'd. I did it a few more times & she eventually went 'oh!' and stepped to the right!

I went back to the other side & asked her to yeild both directions (the easy side). Then I went to the 'bad side' and asked her a again & she got it. Ah the lessons of doing the same thing on both side & making sure you break it down a whole bunch. She's a smart donk though. super proud.

Very cool sessions this evening!! First instead of taking both donks to the training pen, I opened the gate (the one they come out to graze in) I had my bucket of halters etc. Daisy immediately went out to go graze, Rocky stuck with me & followed me out the the training pen.

I started Rocky off by touching the target, then walked him away & had him walk towards the target. We're now easily walking a good twelve steps! with lots of energy too, well for a donkey! Then just to test whether or not this 'go forward' cue was sticking in his brain, I asked him to walk AWAY from the target! and he did! with a whole lot more enthusiasm than he had in the past! no more sticky feet! I was so proud, I tried it on the other side & he responded the same. I was really worried about what would happen when I got rid of the target, but I think I just found my answer!

Halfway through Rocky's session Daisy came back LOL, apparently the training sessions are rewarding for both donks. (yay!) I finished Rocky up on a good note & told him how proud I was of him. I led him out and Daisy walked in, they're getting quite good at the 'switch off' in & out of the training pen.

tonight I just focused on Daisy moving her shoulders, so it would wouldn't be a super long session. She did great, but then I was asking her to move towards me. This is hard for her. I kept at it, rewarding the smallest try, then something clicked. I was standing on her left side, I tapped her left shoulder, she took a step to the right, c/t. Then I asked her the hard one, I reached my hand over her shoulders and tapped her right shoulder, she almost immediately stepped left!! C/T lots of praise too!! Up to this point she's been going more off of where I'm standing and not really paying attention to where the tap is. I decided to try it again, and she did it! She finally is paying attention to the taps! WOOHOOO, I quit at that point, so she could chew on that until the next session. I was very proud!!

Then after the sessions, I let rocky trot to the target on the way back, he was soooo much more into it than the last few times I had done it. I decided to start saying 'trot' when he started trotting. I did it a few times, we actually made it all the way around the whole pasture. Then instead of running ahead with the target, I was only a few steps ahead & I stuck the target out and said 'trot'. Rocky immediately started trotting towards the target!! HUGE CLICK & TREAT. So awesome!!

Rocky was the first in the training pen tonight- he beat Daisy to it. Gotta love enthusiastic students! Although sometimes I think maybe I'm the student haha!! Rocky is showing alot of improvement with go forwards since I brought the target into the equation, now he'll walk on a good 8-9 steps - quite briskly for him too!!

Daisy did a quick recap of the things she knows, the backing is getting to be vocal only, which I think is really cool. We worked on yeilding her shoulders. Pretty soon she'd start offering it before I could even get myself together to give her the cue, she'd literally turn in 3/4 circle by the time I was ready. I guess she says I'm slow!! To further cement the cue, I stood on her off side, reached the whip over her body & tapped on the other shoulder. This was really confusing to her at first, she had already figured out that we were doing shoulders, but she thought whatever side I was on she was supposed to move away. She did that for awhile, i just kept tapping until she got it. It was still really hit or miss & I could sense that she was getting a little frustrated, so I stuck out my hand and pointed the direction I wanted. AHA!! a little 'pre-clue', she got it instantly. We worked on that some more then called it quits.

After our sessions, I while Daisy is hoovering the training pen for dropped pellets, I've been letting Rocky target all the way back to the gate. I decided to see if he'll trot to it, i ran ahead a few steps & he quickly broke out into a trot C/T! This is big for him, he's not really a mover, and really looks like molasses most of the time. I did that two more times C/T trotting. I think if I do that enough, then add the cue 'trot' he'll know what it means.

Overall a good session! I think all the extra in hand stuff really helps Daisy under saddle. Loving that Rocky isn't as sticky as he usually is, and has a bit of energy behind him. Now off to walk the puppehs!! yay more clicker training. Sometimes I just can't get enough!!

Daisy did great with her session yesterday. I was asking for more turning, rather than just a step or two. You can also see we added backing under saddle & she's starting to get it. I also tried to ask her to move her shoulders over, but she didn't quite understand. So we'll be working on that on the ground. Sometimes when I'm asking her to turn, I exaggerate my hand, sticking it out to the side more to give her a 'pre-clue' as to what I want. :)

At one point Daisy did a very nice shoulder yield!! I should've reinforced it!

Rocky is doing well, now that I've got him a target to focus on, for go forward. Although removing the target will be tricky. But he has so much more energy walking forward now, much more confident!

love that every once is awhile you can see the little bling on the browband sparkle hehe

Made this for Daisy, it's basically like a bosal, but with no pressure mechanisms. I'm really liking how she's working in her halter, so this is kind of an upgrade. Just a simple noseband, I would've liked to have larger rings on it, but I didn't have any on hand. Can't wait to see how she does in it.

oh ya, can you tell I'm obsessed with neon green!?! The neon green paracord is also reflective! super safe. woohoo!

On the training front, yesterday we did short sessions. Rocky is still on go forward & was rather sticky on one side, plus he keeps wanting to walk his shoulder into me. We've been working on this quite awhile, I'm thinking I'll have to use targeting or something to help him understand what I'm asking.

Daisy did great, we did a review (in hand) of walk on & halt. Then we worked on back up, I transferred the cue to the lead rope & she was backing very easily - and quite quickly for a donkey!

I then decided I wanted to start teaching her to move her shoulders over. This will help later on when she's driving. I had a few ideas, first ones didn't work. After I changed my technique she got it almost instantly! She earned quite a bit of clicks moving her shoulders. I was really surprised how fast she got it. I'm also really surprised in the difference between both her & Rocky. Rocky is unconfident about moving - probably because standing still - or being near his person was always the right thing, thus he's confused why I want him to walk on with out me in front. Daisy is a 'mover' she has no problems moving around trying to figure out what I want.

Ok, it's a little big, but man! reflective is an understatement!! haha!! She did great in it though!! Every session she gets lighter & lighter. Tonight we are up to two steps for moving the shoulders over.

I brought the target out to help motivate Rocky to walk on, and it worked!! So that's awesome!

Today I decided to see how Daisy would do under saddle with her new 'skills'. I think she did pretty fantastic!! Thats probably the most forward she's ever been in the pasture! usually she just goes 'ugh...no where new..' So that was awesome! check out her awesome whoa at 1:48! Also there's a no rein whoa at 10:45 :)

I think this next week we'll work more on backing, she didn't understand when I was in the saddle, so I need to make sure she understands on the ground. Also I'll probably start teaching her to move her hips & shoulders.

Rocky is still doing well, but if you think Daisy's vids are boring, Rocky's are even more boring, although shorter. I'm getting four steps out of him easily, he's moving off almost instantly now! He's getting it, I just have to be really patient with him. But I do think he'll start moving forward in training pretty soon. He's still at that 'ah ha' moment. or almost there anyways.